Ultrasonic device unit, ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic apparatus

ABSTRACT

An ultrasonic device unit includes an ultrasonic device including 1-st through n-th vibrator elements and 1-st through n-th device-side terminals connected corresponding respectively to the vibrator elements, and a flexible printed wiring board to be connected to the ultrasonic device, in which the flexible printed wiring board includes a first connector section provided with 1-st through k-th external connection terminals, a second connector section provided with (k+1)-th through n-th external connection terminals, a device connection section which is disposed between the first connector section and the second connector section, and to which the 1-st through n-th device-side terminals are connected, and interconnections adapted to connect the i-th device-side terminal and the i-th external connection terminal to each other.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device unit, anultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic apparatus.

2. Related Art

In the past, there has been known an ultrasonic device unit having anultrasonic element array in which ultrasonic elements for performingtransmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are arranged (see, e.g.,JP-A-2016-92592 (Document 1)).

The ultrasonic device unit of Document 1 is provided with the ultrasonicdevice having terminals corresponding respectively to the ultrasonicelements, and the ultrasonic device is connected to a device terminalvia a flexible printed wiring board (a flexible board).

The flexible board is provided with a first flat-plate part disposed onone end side with respect to the center line, and the ultrasonic deviceis fixed to the first flat-plate part. Further, the flexible board isprovided with a second flat-plate part disposed on the other end sidewith respect to the center line, and connecters to which the terminalsof the ultrasonic device are connected are disposed in the secondflat-plate part. Further, the terminals on the second flat-plate partside of the ultrasonic device are connected to the connector withinterconnections formed on the reverse surfaces of the first flat-platepart through the second flat-plate part. In contrast, the terminals onthe opposite side to the second flat-plate part of the ultrasonic deviceare connected to the connector with first interconnections extendingfrom the reverse surface to the obverse surface of the first flat-platepart, second interconnections connected respectively to the firstinterconnections and extending from the obverse surface of the firstflat-plate part to the obverse surface of the second flat-plate part,and third interconnections connected respectively to the secondinterconnections and extending from the obverse surface of the secondflat-plate part to the reverse surface of the second flat-plate part andthen extending to the connector.

Incidentally, in the ultrasonic device unit described in Document 1, thelength of the interconnections from the terminals disposed on theopposite side to the second flat-plate part of the ultrasonic device tothe connector is longer than the length of the interconnections from theterminals disposed on the second flat-plate part side of the ultrasonicdevice to the connector. In general, in the case in which the length ofthe interconnections from the ultrasonic device to the connector islong, the voltage value of a drive signal is lowered due to the voltagedrop, and appropriate transmission and reception of the ultrasonic wavebecome unachievable in the ultrasonic device.

For example, in the ultrasonic device unit described in Document 1, inthe case of inputting the drive signals with the same voltage value tothe terminals, the acoustic pressure of the ultrasonic wave output fromthe ultrasonic element connected to the terminal on the opposite side tothe second flat-plate part of the ultrasonic device becomes lowercompared to that of the ultrasonic element connected to the terminal onthe second flat-plate part side. Therefore, the acoustic pressure of theultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic device becomes non-uniform.

SUMMARY

An advantage of the invention is to provide an ultrasonic device unit,an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic apparatus capable of outputtingan appropriate ultrasonic wave from an ultrasonic device.

An ultrasonic device unit of an application example according to theinvention includes an ultrasonic device including 1-st through n-th (nis an integer no smaller than 2) vibrator elements and 1-st through n-thdevice-side terminals connected corresponding respectively to thevibrator elements, and a flexible printed wiring board to be connectedto the ultrasonic device, in which the flexible printed wiring boardincludes a first connector section provided with 1-st through k-th (k isan integer satisfying 1≤k<n) external connection terminals, a secondconnector section provided with (k+1)-th through n-th externalconnection terminals, a device connection section which is disposedbetween the first connector section and the second connector section,and to which the 1-st through n-th device-side terminals are connected,and interconnections provided corresponding respectively to the 1-stthrough n-th device-side terminals and the 1-st through n-th externalconnection terminals, and adapted to connect the i-th device-sideterminal and the i-th external connection terminal to each other.

In this application example, the flexible printed wiring board includesthe device connection section, the first connector section, and thesecond connector section. Further, the k device-side terminals, namelythe 1-st through k-th device-side terminals, of the ultrasonic deviceare connected to the external connection terminals of the firstconnector section with the interconnections extending from the deviceconnection section to the external connection terminals, and the n-kdevice-side terminals, namely the (k+1)-th through n-th device-sideterminals, are connected to the external connection terminals of thesecond connector section with the interconnections extending from thedevice connection section to the external connection terminals.

In such a configuration, the influence of the voltage drop due to theinterconnections can be suppressed compared to the case in which, forexample, the external connection terminals are provided only to thefirst connector section. Specifically, in the case in which the externalconnection terminals are provided only to the first connector section,it is necessary to form the interconnections so as not to cross eachother. In the device connection section to which the ultrasonic deviceis connected, the device-side terminals located on the first connectorsection side are connected to the external connection terminals locatedon the device connection section side of the first connector section.However, as the position of the device-side terminal gets away from thefirst connector section, the position of the external connectionterminal to be connected also gets away from the device connectionsection, and the interconnection elongates accordingly. Therefore, inthe ultrasonic device, the transmission/reception efficiency of theultrasonic wave due to the vibrator element is high on the side close tothe first connector section, and the transmission/reception efficiencylowers as the distance from the first connector section increases.

In contrast, in this application example, there are provided the firstconnector section and the second connector section. In this case, thedevice-side terminals located distantly from the first connector sectioncan be connected to the external connection terminals of the secondconnector section. Therefore, there is no interconnection with thewiring length extremely elongated, and it is also possible to suppressthe influence of the voltage drop on the transmission/receptionefficiency. Thus, in the ultrasonic device, an appropriate transmissionand reception of the ultrasonic wave can be achieved.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that the vibrator elements each include a plurality ofultrasonic elements arranged in a first direction, the vibrator elementsare arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction, thedevice-side terminals include first device-side terminals disposed onone end side in the first direction of the vibrator elements, and seconddevice-side terminals disposed on the other end side in the firstdirection, and the i-th first device-side terminal and the i-th seconddevice-side terminal are connected to the i-th external connectionterminal.

In the application example with this configuration, the vibratorelements each include a plurality of ultrasonic elements arranged in afirst direction. In such a configuration, when the drive signal is inputfrom one side in the first direction, the drive characteristics (thetransmission/reception efficiency) of the ultrasonic element disposed onthe other side is lowered due to the influence of the voltage drop. Incontrast, in the present application example, the first device-sideterminals are disposed on one end side in the first direction, thesecond device-side terminals are disposed on the other end side, andboth of the first device-side terminals and the second device-sideterminals are connected to the same external connection terminals,respectively. In this case, it results that the same drive signal isinput from the both end sides of the ultrasonic element disposed in thefirst direction, and it is possible to suppress the influence of thevoltage drop.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that in the flexible printed wiring board, the firstconnector section, the device connection section, and the secondconnector section are arranged along the second direction.

In the application example with this configuration, it is possible toform the interconnections extending from the device connection sectiontoward the first connector section, and the interconnections extendingfrom the device connection section toward the second connector sectionso as to have symmetrical shapes. In this case, since the lengths of theinterconnections also become symmetrical with each other, even in thecase in which the voltage drop occurs, the transmission/receptionefficiency of the ultrasonic wave output from the first connectorsection side in the ultrasonic device and the transmission/receptionefficiency of the ultrasonic wave output from the second connectorsection side become roughly equal to each other. Therefore, it isprevented that the transmission/reception efficiency of the ultrasonicwave significantly lowers in a part of the ultrasonic device, and theappropriate transmission/reception process of the ultrasonic wave can beperformed.

Further, as described above, in the configuration provided with theinterconnections connected to the first device-side terminals and theinterconnections connected to the second device-side terminals, if, forexample, the first connector section is disposed in the first directionfrom the device connection section, and the second connector section isdisposed in the second direction from the device connection section, theinterconnections connected to the first device-side terminals and theinterconnections connected to the second device-side terminals becomedifferent in length dimension from each other.

In contrast, in the application example with the configuration describedabove, it is possible to dispose the interconnections to be connected tothe first device-side terminals and the interconnections to be connectedto the second device-side terminals so as to have symmetrical shapes.Therefore, the influence of the voltage drop becomes roughly the samebetween the interconnections to be connected to the first device-sideterminals and the interconnections to be connected to the seconddevice-side terminals, and thus, the drive signal input to the firstdevice-side terminal of the vibrator element and the drive signal inputto the second device-side terminal can be made roughly equal to eachother. Thus, it is possible to equalize the transmission/receptionefficiency of the ultrasonic wave due to the vibrator elements, and itis possible to perform an appropriate transmission/reception process ofthe ultrasonic wave.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that |(n−k)−k|/n≤0.2 is fulfilled.

In the application example with this configuration, the differencebetween the number of the device-side terminals to be connected to theexternal connection terminal of the first connector section and thenumber of the device-side terminals to be connected to the externalconnection terminals of the second connector section becomes equal to orlower than 20% of the total number of the device-side terminals. If thedifference between the number of the device-side terminals to beconnected to the first connector section and the number of thedevice-side terminals to be connected to the second connector sectionexceeds 20%, the number of the vibrator elements significantly affectedby the voltage drop due to the increase in length dimension of theinterconnections increases. For example, in the case in which 100vibrator elements are connected to the external connection terminals ofthe first connector section, and 200 vibrator elements are connected tothe external connection terminals of the second connector section, thenumber of the interconnections extending from the device connectionsection toward the second connector section increases, and the lengthsof some of the interconnections extending from the device connectionsection toward the second connector section increase. Therefore, theinfluence of the voltage drop in some vibrator elements long ininterconnection length increases, and thus, the transmission/receptionefficiency in the vibrator element decreases.

In contrast, by adopting the configuration described above, it ispossible to reduce the number of the vibrator elements significantlyaffected by the voltage drop.

In the ultrasonic device unit according to the application example, itis preferable that k=n/2 is fulfilled.

In the application example with this configuration, the number of thedevice-side terminals to be connected to the external connectionterminal of the first connector section and the number of thedevice-side terminals to be connected to the external connectionterminals of the second connector section are equal to each other.Therefore, between the vibrator elements to be connected to the firstconnector section and the vibrator elements to be connected to thesecond connector section, the influence of the voltage drop can be maderoughly the same, and thus, the transmission/reception efficiency of theultrasonic wave in the ultrasonic device can be equalized.

An ultrasonic probe according to an application example of the inventionincludes the ultrasonic device unit according to any one of theapplication examples described above, and a housing adapted to store theultrasonic device unit.

In the ultrasonic probe according to this application example, such anultrasonic device unit as described above is housed in the housing, andby making the ultrasonic probe have contact with the test object, theultrasonic measurement on the test object can be performed. Further, asdescribed above, since the ultrasonic device unit is suppressed in theinfluence of the voltage drop, and can therefore perform the appropriatetransmission/reception process of the ultrasonic wave, also in theultrasonic probe equipped with the ultrasonic device unit, the highlyaccurate ultrasonic measurement can be performed.

An ultrasonic apparatus according to an application example of theinvention includes the ultrasonic device unit according to any one ofthe application examples described above, and a control section adaptedto control the ultrasonic device unit.

In this application example, by controlling such an ultrasonic deviceunit as described above, it is possible to perform a variety of types ofultrasonic processing (e.g., ultrasonic measurement on the test object,and ultrasonic therapy on the test object) in accordance with themeasurement result of the ultrasonic measurement. Further, as describedabove, since the ultrasonic device unit is suppressed in the influenceof the voltage drop, and can therefore perform the appropriatetransmission/reception process of the ultrasonic wave, also in theultrasonic device equipped with such an ultrasonic device unit, theultrasonic measurement described above can be performed with highaccuracy.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of anultrasonic measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of an ultrasonicprobe according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe cut along theline A-A shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe cut along theline B-B shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonicsubstrate of the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate cut alongthe line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a wiringboard of the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a surface ofa flexible board of the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a wiring structure of the flexible board ofthe embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a voltage value of a drive voltage to beapplied to each of transmission/reception columns of an ultrasonicdevice.

FIG. 11 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a firstreinforcing plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a secondreinforcing plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the case in which the flexible board iscurved along an X direction in the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a side view of an ultrasonic device unit according to theembodiment viewed from a first inflective part side.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the ultrasonic device unit according to theembodiment viewed from a second inflective part side.

DESCRIPTION OF AN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT

An embodiment according to the invention will hereinafter be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of theultrasonic measurement apparatus 1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 correspondsto an ultrasonic apparatus, and is provided with an ultrasonic probe 2,and a control device 10 electrically connected to the ultrasonic probe 2via a cable 3.

The ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1 transmits an ultrasonic wave fromthe ultrasonic probe 2 to the inside of a living body (e.g., a humanbody) in the state in which the ultrasonic probe 2 has contact with asurface of the living body. Further, the ultrasonic measurementapparatus 1 receives the ultrasonic wave reflected by an organ in theliving body using the ultrasonic probe 2, and then, for example, obtainsan internal tomographic image of the inside of the living body tomeasure the state (e.g., blood flow) of the organ in the living bodybased on the received signal.

1. Configuration of Control Device

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, the control device 10 corresponds to acontrol section, and is provided with an operating section 11 includingbuttons or a touch panel, and a display section 12. Further, althoughnot shown in the drawings, the control device 10 is provided with astorage section formed of a memory and so on, and an arithmetic sectionconstituted by a central processing unit (CPU) and so on. The controldevice 10 makes the arithmetic section execute a variety of programsstored in the storage section to thereby control the ultrasonicmeasurement apparatus 1. For example, the control device 10 outputs acommand for controlling the drive of the ultrasonic probe 2, forms animage of the internal structure of the living body and then makes thedisplay section 12 display the image, and measures the living bodyinformation such as the blood flow to make the display section 12display the living body information based on the received signal inputfrom the ultrasonic probe 2. As such a control device 10, there can beused a terminal device such as a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or apersonal computer, and a dedicated terminal device for operating theultrasonic probe 2 can also be used.

2. Configuration of Ultrasonic Probe

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the ultrasonicprobe 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 2 cutalong the line A-A (a plane S_(A)) shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is across-sectional view of the ultrasonic probe 2 cut along the line B-B (aplane S_(B)) shown in FIG. 2.

The ultrasonic probe 2 corresponds to an ultrasonic probe, and isprovided with a housing 21, and an ultrasonic device unit 4 storedinside the housing 21 as shown in FIG. 1 through FIG. 4. Further, theultrasonic device unit 4 is configured including an ultrasonic device 5,a flexible printed wiring board (a flexible board 6), a firstreinforcing plate 71, and a second reinforcing plate 72.

Hereinafter, each of the constituents will be described in detail.

2-1. Configuration of Ultrasonic Device 5

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the ultrasonic device constituting theultrasonic device unit 4 includes an ultrasonic substrate 51, a sealingplate 52, a wiring board 53, and an acoustic lens 54, and is formed bystacking the wiring board 53, the sealing plate 52, the ultrasonicsubstrate 51, and the acoustic lens 54 in this order. In the presentembodiment, the ultrasonic device 5 is formed to have, for example, arectangular shape in a planar view viewed from the stacking direction (aZ direction) of the wiring board 53, the sealing plate 52, theultrasonic substrate 51, and the acoustic lens 54.

2-1-1. Configuration of Ultrasonic Substrate 51

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of theultrasonic substrate 51 of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic substrate 51 is provided with aplurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in a two-dimensionalarray along the X direction (a second direction, a scanning direction)and the Y direction (a first direction, a slicing direction). In thepresent embodiment, 1-CH (channel) transmission/reception column Ch(vibrator element) is constituted by a plurality of ultrasonictransducers Tr (ultrasonic elements) arranged in the Y direction.Further, a plurality of the 1-CH transmission/reception columns Charranged side by side along the X direction constitutes the ultrasonicsubstrate 51 having a two-dimensional array structure. Here, in theultrasonic substrate 51, an area where the ultrasonic transducers Tr arearranged is defined as an array area Ar1.

It should be noted that in FIG. 5, the number of the ultrasonictransducers Tr arranged is reduced for the sake of convenience ofexplanation, but in reality, there are arranged a larger number ofultrasonic transducers Tr.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ultrasonic substrate51 cut along the line C-C shown in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 6, the ultrasonic substrate 51 is configured includingan element substrate 511, a support film 512 disposed on the elementsubstrate 511, and piezoelectric elements 513 disposed on the supportfilm 512.

The element substrate 511 is formed of a semiconductor substrate madeof, for example, Si. The element substrate 511 is provided withsubstrate opening parts 511A corresponding to the respective ultrasonictransducers Tr. In the present embodiment, each of the substrate openingparts 511A is a through hole penetrating the element substrate 511 inthe thickness direction thereof, and the support film 512 is disposed onone end side (the sealing plate 52 side) of the through hole.

Further, the side of the substrate opening part 511A where the supportfilm 512 is not provided is filled with an acoustic layer 515 havingacoustic impedance approximate to that of the living body.

Further, on a surface of the element substrate 511 located on theopposite side to the support film 512, there is disposed the acousticlens 54 having contact with the element substrate 511 and the acousticlayer 515. The acoustic lens 54 is a part which is exposed from thesensor window 211B (see FIG. 1 and so on) provided to the housing 21when the ultrasonic device unit 4 is stored in the housing 21, and formsa part to have contact with the test object when performing theultrasonic measurement. Similarly to the acoustic layer 515, theacoustic lens 54 is formed of, for example, silicone having acousticimpedance approximate to that of the living body, and is formed to havea cylindrical shape with an axis parallel to the X direction.

The support film 512 is formed of, for example, a stacked body of SiO₂and ZrO₂, and is disposed so as to cover the entire area on the sealingplate 52 side of the element substrate 511. Specifically, the supportfilm 512 is supported by partition walls 511B constituting the substrateopening parts 511A, and closes the sealing plate 52 side of thesubstrate opening parts 511A. The thickness dimension of the supportfilm 512 is made sufficiently small with respect to that of the elementsubstrate 511.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the support film 512is formed by performing a thermal oxidation treatment on one surface ofthe element substrate 511 formed of Si to form SiO₂, and then stackingZrO₂ thereon. On this occasion, by performing etching on the elementsubstrate 511 using the support film 512 including SiO₂ as an etchingstopper, it becomes possible to easily form the substrate opening parts511A and the partition walls 511B.

The piezoelectric elements 513 are disposed on respective parts of thesupport film 512 closing the respective substrate opening parts 511A.The piezoelectric elements 513 are each formed of, for example, astacked body obtained by stacking a lower-part electrode 513A, apiezoelectric film 513B, and an upper-part electrode 513C from thesupport film 512 side.

Here, the part of the support film 512 closing the substrate openingpart 511A constitutes a vibrating part 512A, and the vibrating part 512Aand the piezoelectric element 513 constitute one ultrasonic transducerTr.

In such an ultrasonic transducer Tr, by applying a rectangular-wavevoltage (a drive voltage) having a predetermined frequency between thelower-part electrode 513A and the upper-part electrode 513C, thepiezoelectric film 513B is deflected to vibrate the vibrating part 512Ato transmit the ultrasonic wave. Further, when the vibrating part 512Ais vibrated by the ultrasonic wave (a reflected wave) reflected by theliving body, an electrical potential difference occurs between an upperpart and a lower part of the piezoelectric film 513B. Thus, by detectingthe electrical potential difference occurring between the lower-partelectrode 513A and the upper-part electrode 513C, it becomes possible todetect the ultrasonic wave received.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, the lower-part electrode513A is formed along the Y direction to have a linear shape, andconnects the plurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr constituting the1-CH transmission/reception column Ch to each other. Drive terminals513D therefor are electrically connected to the wiring board 53 via, forexample, through electrodes provided to the sealing plate 52.

Further, the upper-part electrode 513C is formed along the X directionto form a linear shape, and connects the ultrasonic transducers Trarranged in the X direction. Further, the end parts on the ±X sides ofthe upper-part electrode 513C are respectively connected to commonelectrode lines 514. The common electrode lines 514 each connect theupper-part electrodes 513C arranged along the Y direction to each other,and are each provided with common terminals 514A at the end partsthereof, wherein the common terminals 514A are electrically connected tothe wiring board 53. The common terminals 514A are electricallyconnected to the wiring board 53 with, for example, through electrodesprovided to the sealing plate 52.

2-1-2. Configuration of Sealing Plate 52

The sealing plate 52 is formed so that the planar shape of the sealingplate 52 viewed from the thickness direction has the same shape as thatof, for example, the ultrasonic substrate 51. Further, the sealing plate52 is bonded with a fixation member such as resin on the support film512 side of the ultrasonic substrate 51, and at the positionsoverlapping the partition walls 511B viewed from the substrate thicknessdirection, to reinforce the ultrasonic substrate 51.

The sealing plate 52 is provided with openings not shown at positionsopposed to the drive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514A of theelement substrate 511, and through electrodes 521 (see FIG. 7), forexample, for connecting the drive terminals 513D and the commonterminals 514A to the wiring board 53 are inserted through the openings.

2-1-3. Configuration of Wiring Board 53

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the wiringboard 53.

As shown in FIG. 7, the wiring board 53 is provided with device-sideterminals (first device-side terminals 531 and second device-sideterminals 532) at positions opposed to the drive terminals 513D and thecommon terminals 514A. These device-side terminals are connected to thedrive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514A via the throughelectrodes 521 provided to the sealing plate 52, respectively.

In the present embodiment, the drive terminals 513D and the commonterminals 514A are disposed in the both end parts in the Y direction.Therefore, also in the wiring board 53, the device-side terminalscorresponding to the drive terminals 513D and the common terminals 514Aare disposed in the both end parts in the Y direction. Here, in thefollowing description, the device-side terminals disposed on the −Y sideare referred to as first device-side terminals 531, and the device-sideterminals disposed on the +Y side as the other end side in the Ydirection are referred to as second device-side terminals 532.

Further, in the present embodiment, the number of each of the firstdevice-side terminals 531 and the second device-side terminals 532provided to the wiring substrate 53 is n (n is an integer equal to orgreater than 2). Here, the first device-side terminal disposed at the −Xside end part is defined as a 1-st first device-side terminal 531, thesecond device-side terminal disposed at the −X side end part is definedas a 1-st second device-side terminal 532, the first device-sideterminal disposed at the +X side end part is defined as an n-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the second device-side terminal disposedat the +X side end part is defined as an n-th second device-sideterminal 532. The first device-side terminal 531 and the seconddevice-side terminal 532 disposed at “i”-th position from the −X sideend part are defined as an i-th first device-side terminal 531 and ani-th second device-side terminal 532, respectively.

To each of the first device-side terminals 531 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532, there is connected the flexible board 6.

2-2. Configuration of Flexible Printed Wiring Board (Flexible Board 6)

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a surface ofthe flexible board 6 of the present embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagramshowing a wiring structure of the flexible board.

As shown in FIG. 8, the flexible board 6 is formed to have, for example,a rectangular planar shape. The flexible board 6 is divided into fiveregions along the X direction.

Specifically, the flexible board 6 is provided with a device connectionsection 61 disposed in the central area in the X direction, a firstconnector section 62 located on the −X side of the device connectionsection 61, and a second connector section 63 located on the +X side ofthe device connection section 61. Further, the device connection section61 and the first connector section 62 are linked (connected) to eachother via a first inflective part 64, and the device connection section61 and the second connector section 63 are linked (connected) to eachother via a second inflective part 65.

2-2-1. Description of Device Connection Section 61

The device connection section 61 is a part to which the ultrasonicdevice 5 is connected, and has an opening part 611 having a roughlyrectangular shape corresponding to the acoustic lens 54. Further, thedevice connection section 61 is configured including a first wiring part612 disposed on the −Y side of the opening part 611, and a second wiringpart 613 disposed on the +Y side of the opening part 611.

The first wiring part 612 is a part in which interconnections to beconnected to the first device-side terminals 531 are disposed, and isprovided with a first connection part 614, a first bending part 615, anda first device stacking part 616.

The first connection part 614 has connection terminals disposed in aconnection side 614A along the X direction facing the opening part 611,and connected to the respective first device-side terminals 531 alongthe connection side 614A.

The first bending part 615 is a part extending from the first connectionpart 614 toward the −Y side (in a first extending direction). Althoughthe details will be described later, the first bending part 615 isopposed to a bending guide part 715 (see FIG. 4 and so on) provided tothe first reinforcing plate 71 when bending the flexible board 6.

Further, an end edge (a first negative-side end edge 612A) on the −Xside of the first connection part 614 and the first bending part 615constitutes a part of an opening edge of a first slit 641 provided tothe first inflective part 64 described later. Further, an end edge (afirst positive-side end edge 612B) on the +X side of the firstconnection part 614 and the first bending part 615 constitutes apart ofan opening edge of a second slit 651 provided to the second inflectivepart 65 described later.

The first device stacking part 616 is a part which overlaps the firstreinforcing plate 71 when connecting the flexible board 6 to theultrasonic device 5 supported by the first reinforcing plate 71, andbending the flexible board 6 around the first bending part 615 along thefirst reinforcing plate 71.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the interconnections(first interconnections 661) connected to the 1-st through k-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 out of the first device-side terminals 531 aredisposed in the first device stacking part 616 so as to extend towardthe first connector section 62. Meanwhile, the interconnections (thirdinterconnections 663) connected to the (k+1)-th through n-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 out of the first device-side terminals 531 aredisposed in the first device stacking part 616 so as to extend towardthe second connector section 63.

The second wiring part 613 is a part in which interconnections to beconnected to the second device-side terminals 532 are disposed, and hassubstantially the same configuration as that of the first wiring part612. Specifically, the second wiring part 613 is configured linesymmetrically with the first wiring part 612 about a Y-central axis lineL_(Y) passing through the central point in the Y direction of theopening part 611 and parallel to the X direction.

Specifically, the second wiring part 613 is provided with a secondconnection part 617, a second bending part 618, and a second devicestacking part 619.

The second connection part 617 has connection terminals disposed along aconnection side 617A along the X direction facing the opening part 611,and connected to the respective second device-side terminals 532 alongthe connection side 617A.

The second bending part 618 is a part extending from the secondconnection part 617 toward the +Y side (in a second extendingdirection), and is opposed to the bending guide part 715 of the firstreinforcing plate 71 described later when bending the flexible board 6.

An end edge (a second negative-side end edge 613A) on the −X side of thesecond connection part 617 and the second bending part 618 constitutes apart of an opening edge of the first slit 641 provided to the firstinflective part 64 described later. Further, an end edge (a secondpositive-side end edge 613B) on the +X side of the second connectionpart 617 and the second bending part 618 constitutes a part of theopening edge of the second slit 651 provided to the second inflectivepart 65 described later.

The second device stacking part 619 is a part which overlaps the firstreinforcing plate 71 together with the first device stacking part 616when connecting the flexible board 6 to the ultrasonic device 5 fixed tothe first reinforcing plate 71, and bending the second bending part 618of the flexible board 6 along the first reinforcing plate 71.

Among the interconnections disposed in the second device stacking part619, the interconnections (second interconnections 662) to be connectedto the 1-st through k-th second device-side terminals 532 are disposedso as to extend toward the first connector section 62. Further, theinterconnections (fourth interconnections 664) to be connected to the(k+1)-th through n-th second device-side terminals 532 are disposed soas to extend toward the second connector section 63.

2-2-2. Description of First Connector Section 62 and Second ConnectionSection 63

The first connector section 62 is provided with a plurality ofconnectors 621 each provided with a plurality of external connectionterminals 622 (see FIG. 9), and the second connector section 63 isprovided with a plurality of connectors 631 each provided with aplurality of external connection terminals 632 (see FIG. 9). As shown inFIG. 8 and FIG. 9, in the present embodiment, the first connectorsection 62 is provided with the three connectors 621, and the secondconnector section 63 is provided with the three connectors 631. Further,each of the connectors 621 is provided with the external connectionterminals 622 to be connected to either of the interconnections 661,662, and each of the connectors 631 is provided with the externalconnection terminals 632 to be connected to either of theinterconnections 663, 664.

It should be noted that although in the present embodiment, there isshown an example in which the three connectors 621, 631 are provided,this is not a limitation, and it is also possible to provide one or twoconnectors 621, 631, or it is also possible to provide four or moreconnectors 621, 631.

Here, among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connectorsection 62, in the connector 621A located on the +X side, there aredisposed the 1-st external connection terminal 622 through the k₁-th(k₁<k) external connection terminal 622. Further, in the connector 621A,the 1-st external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the +X side endpart, and the k₁-th external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the−X side end part.

Among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connector section62, in the connector 621B located in the central part in the Xdirection, there are disposed the (k₁+1)-th external connection terminal622 through the k₂-th (k₁<k₂<k) external connection terminal 622.Further, in the connector 621B, the (k₁+1)-th external connectionterminal 622 is disposed at the +X side end part, and the k₂-th externalconnection terminal 622 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 621 provided to the first connector section62, in the connector 621C located on the −X side, there are disposed the(k₂+1)-th external connection terminal 622 through the k-th externalconnection terminal 622. Further, in the connector 621C, the (k₂+1)-thexternal connection terminal 622 is disposed at the +X side end part,and the k-th external connection terminal 622 is disposed at the −X sideend part.

Therefore, in the first connector section 62, the “i (1≤i≤k)”-thexternal connection terminal 622 from the +X side corresponds to thei-th external connection terminal.

Further, to the i-th external connection terminal 622, there areconnected the first interconnection 661 connected to the i-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the second interconnection 662 connectedto the i-th second device-side terminal 532.

Here, the first interconnection 661 and the second interconnection 662disposed in the first connector section 62 are made roughlyline-symmetric about the Y-central axis line L_(Y) similarly to thedevice connection section 61. In other words, the wiring length from thefirst device-side terminal 531 to the external connection terminal 622in the first interconnection 661 and the wiring length from the seconddevice-side terminal 532 to the external connection terminal 622 in thesecond interconnection 662 are roughly equal to each other.

On the other hand, among the three connectors 631 provided to the secondconnector section 63, in the connector 631A located on the +X side,there are disposed the (k+1)-th external connection terminal 632 throughthe k₃-th (k+1≤k₃<n) external connection terminal 632. Further, in theconnector 631A, the (k+1)-th external connection terminal 632 isdisposed at the +X side end part, and the k₃-th external connectionterminal 632 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 631 provided to the second connector section63, in the connector 631B located in the central part in the Xdirection, there are disposed the (k₃+1)-th external connection terminal632 through the k₄-th (k₃<k₄<n) external connection terminal 632.Further, in the connector 631B, the (k₃+1)-th external connectionterminal 632 is disposed at the +X side end part, and the k₄-th externalconnection terminal 632 is disposed at the −X side end part.

Among the three connectors 631 provided to the second connector section63, in the connector 631C located on the −X side, there are disposed the(k₄+1)-th external connection terminal 632 through the n-th externalconnection terminal 632. Further, in the connector 631C, the (k₄+1)-thexternal connection terminal 632 is disposed at the +X side end part,and the n-th external connection terminal 632 is disposed at the −X sideend part.

Therefore, in the second connector section 63, the “i (k+1≤i≤n)”-thexternal connection terminal 632 from the +X side corresponds to thei-th external connection terminal 632.

Further, to the i-th external connection terminal 632, there areconnected the third interconnection 663 connected to the i-th firstdevice-side terminal 531, and the fourth interconnection 664 connectedto the i-th second device-side terminal 532.

Here, the third interconnection 663 and the fourth interconnection 664disposed in the second connector section 63 are made roughlyline-symmetric about the Y-central axis line L_(Y) similarly to thedevice connection section 61. In other words, the wiring length from thefirst device-side terminal 531 to the external connection terminal 632in the third interconnection 663 and the wiring length from the seconddevice-side terminal 532 to the external connection terminal 622 in thefourth interconnection 664 are roughly equal to each other.

Here, among the first device-side terminals 531, it is preferable forthe number (k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to be connected tothe external connection terminals 622 of the first connector section 62,and the number (n−k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to beconnected to the external connection terminals 632 of the secondconnector section 63 to satisfy the relationship of |(n−k)−k|/n≤0.2.

In other words, it is preferable to adopt the wiring configuration inwhich the difference between the number (k) of the first device-sideterminals 531 to be connected to the external connection terminals 622and the number (n−k) of the first device-side terminals 531 to beconnected to the external connection terminals 632 is equal to or lowerthan 20% of the total number (n) of the first device-side terminals 531.Further, it is more preferable that n is an even number, and k=n/2 isassumed.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a voltage value of a drive voltage to beapplied to each of the transmission/reception columns Ch. In FIG. 10,the dashed-dotted line represents the voltage value in the case of usingthe flexible board (related art example) having just one connectorsection with respect to the device connection section, and the solidline represents the voltage value in the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, in the past, the device-side terminals locatedclose to the connector section are connected to the external connectionterminals located on the device connection section side of the connectorsection, and the device-side terminals located farther from theconnector section are connected to the external connection terminalslocated farther from the device connection section of the connectorsection. Therefore, as the device-side terminal is located farther fromthe connector section, the length of the interconnection also increases,and due to the influence of the voltage drop, the voltage value of thedrive voltage applied to each of the transmission/reception columns Chconnected to the device-side terminals also drops.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, there are provided the firstconnector section 62 and the second connector section 63 as describedabove, and the interconnections 661, 662 are provided to the connectorsection 62, and the interconnections 663, 664 are provided to theconnector section 63, wherein the numbers of the interconnections 661,662, 663, and 664 are the same. Further, in the present embodiment, thefirst interconnections 661 and the third interconnections 663 are maderoughly line-symmetric about an X-central axis line L_(X) passingthrough the center of the ultrasonic device 5 and parallel to the Ydirection, and the second interconnections 662 and the fourthinterconnections 664 are made roughly line-symmetric about the X-centralaxis line L_(X). Therefore, the first interconnection 661 connected tothe i-th first device-side terminal 531, the second interconnection 662connected to the i-th second device-side terminal 532, the thirdinterconnection 663 connected to the (i+n/2)-th first device-sideterminal 531, and the fourth interconnection 664 connected to the(i+n/2)-th second device-side terminal 532 become roughly the same inlength, and as shown in FIG. 10, the influence of the voltage drop issuppressed.

2-2-3. Configuration of First Inflective Part 64 and Second InflectivePart 65

As shown in FIG. 8, the first inflective part 64 is disposed between thedevice connection section 61 and the first connector section 62, andlinks the first connector section 62 to the device connection section 61in a bendable manner. Similarly, the second inflective part 65 isdisposed between the device connection section 61 and the secondconnector section 63, and links the second connector section 63 to thedevice connection section 61 in a bendable manner.

The first inflective part 64 has the first slit 641 linked to theopening part 611 provided to the device connection section 61.

As shown in FIG. 8, the first slit 641 is an opening elongated along theY direction, and includes the first negative-side end edge 612A, whichis the end edge on the −X side of the first connection part 614 and thefirst bending part 615, and the second negative-side end edge 613A,which is the end edge on the −X side of the second connection part 617and the second bending part 618 as a part of the opening edge on the +Xside. In the present embodiment, the first negative-side end edge 612Aand the second negative-side end edge 613A are located on a straightline along the Y direction. The opening edge opposed to the firstnegative-side end edge 612A and the second negative-side end edge 613Aof the first slit 641 forms a first opposed edge 641A shaped like astraight line parallel to the Y direction.

Further, the end edge (a first slit end edge 641B) on the −Y side of thefirst slit 641 links the −Y side end parts of the first opposed edge641A and the first negative-side end edge 612A to each other, and theend edge (a first slit end edge 641C) on the +Y side of the first slit641 links the +Y side end parts of the first opposed edge 641A and thesecond negative-side end edge 613A to each other. The first slit endedge 641B is disposed at a position shifted from the first connectionpart 614 toward the −Y side as much as a dimension D1. Similarly, thefirst slit end edge 641C is disposed at a position shifted from thesecond connection part 617 toward the +Y side as much as the dimensionD1.

Here, the dimension D1 is set to a dimension larger than a distance fromthe wiring board 53 to a first side 71A (see FIG. 11) of the firstreinforcing plate 71 in the case of connecting the flexible board 6 tothe ultrasonic device 5 supported by the first reinforcing plate 71 (seeFIG. 11) described later.

The second inflective part 65 has the second slit 651 linked to theopening part 611 provided to the device connection section 61.

The second slit 651 has roughly the same configuration as that of thefirst slit 641, and is connected to the opening part 611, including thefirst positive-side end edge 612B and the second positive-side end edge613B as a part of the opening edge on the −X side. The opening edgeopposed to the first positive-side end edge 612B and the secondpositive-side end edge 613B of the second slit 651 forms a secondopposed edge 651A shaped like a straight line parallel to the Ydirection.

Further, the end edge (a second slit end edge 651B) on the −Y side ofthe second slit 651 links the −Y side end parts of the second opposededge 651A and the first positive-side end edge 612B to each other, andthe end edge (a second slit end edge 651C) on the +Y side of the secondslit 651 links the +Y side end parts of the second opposed edge 651A andthe second positive-side end edge 613B to each other. The second slitend edge 651B is disposed at a position shifted from the firstconnection part 614 toward the −Y side as much as the dimension D1, andthe second slit end edge 651C is disposed at a position shifted from thesecond connection part 617 toward the +Y side as much as the dimensionD1.

Here, the dimension from the first negative-side end edge 612A to thefirst opposed edge 641A and the dimension from the second negative-sideend edge 613A to the first opposed edge 641A are the same as each other,and are defined as a width dimension W1 in the X direction in the firstslit 641. Further, the dimension from the first positive-side end edge612B to the second opposed edge 651A and the dimension from the secondpositive-side end edge 613B to the second opposed edge 651A are the sameas each other, and are defined as a width dimension W2 in the Xdirection in the second slit 651. In the present embodiment, the widthdimension W1 of the first slit 641 and the width dimension W2 of thesecond slit 651 are different from each other, and satisfy W1<W2.

2-3. Configuration of First Reinforcing Plate 71 and Second ReinforcingPlate 72

2-3-1. Configuration of First Reinforcing Plate 71

FIG. 11 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of a firstreinforcing plate 71.

The first reinforcing plate 71 supports the ultrasonic device 5, and isfixed to the housing 21. Further, the first reinforcing plate 71 isformed of a resin material in order to prevent short circuit of theinterconnections of the flexible board 6 when the first reinforcingplate 71 has contact with the flexible board 6 connected to theultrasonic device 5.

As shown in FIG. 11, the first reinforcing plate 71 has, for example, aroughly rectangular shape in a plan view viewed from the substratethickness direction, and is provided with a first side 71A (−Y side) anda third side 71C (+Y side) parallel to the X direction, and a secondside 71B (−X side) and a fourth side 71D (+X side) parallel to the Ydirection.

The first reinforcing plate 71 is provided with positioning blocks 711along the second side 71B and the fourth side 71D, respectively.Specifically, there are disposed the positioning block 711 located in anarea from a corner part between the first side 71A and the second side71B through a corner part between the second side 71B and the third side71C, and the positioning block 711 located in an area from a corner partbetween the third side 71C and the fourth side 71D through a corner partbetween the fourth side 71D and the first side 71A. These positioningblocks 711 correspond to reference corner parts, and each function as apositioning part when fixing the first reinforcing plate 71 to thehousing 21.

Each of the positioning blocks 711 is provided with first referencesurfaces 711A parallel to the X direction, a second reference surface711B parallel to the Y direction, and a third reference surface 711C anda fourth reference surface 711D crossing the first reference surfaces711A and the second reference surface 711B.

Specifically, the first reference surfaces 711A are ±Y side end surfacesof the positioning block 711, and are planes parallel to the X-Z plane.

The second reference surface 711B is a −X side end surface in thepositioning block 711 located on the second side 71B side, and a +X sideend surface in the positioning block 711 located on the fourth side 71Dside, and is a plane parallel to the Y-Z plane.

The third reference surface 711C is a +Z side end surface of each of thepositioning blocks 711, and has contact with the housing 21. The thirdreference surface 711C is located on the +Z side with respect to thesurface (a fixation surface 712) on the +Z side of the central part ofthe first reinforcing plate 71. Thus, a step 713 is disposed between thethird reference surface 711C and the fixation surface 712, and due tothe step 713, the ±X side end surfaces of the ultrasonic device 5 arepositioned. Here, it is preferable for the height dimension (thedimension in the Z direction) of the step 713 to be equal to or largerthan at least the thickness dimension of the flexible board 6.

The fourth reference surface 711D is a surface forming a reverse surfacewith respect to the third reference surface 711C, and when housing theultrasonic device unit 4 in the housing 21, the second reinforcing plate72 described later is mounted on the fourth reference surface 711D.

It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the fourth referencesurface 711D is disposed in the same plane as the reverse surface 714 asshown in FIG. 11.

Further, the width dimension W4 in the X direction of the positioningblock 711 is smaller than the width dimension W1 of the first slit 641and the width dimension W2 of the second slit 651 (see FIG. 8).

Further, in each of the positioning blocks 711, a surface (a surface onthe opposite side to the second reference surface 711B) crossing thefirst side 71A and the third side 71C forms a guide surface 711E. Theguide surface 711E is a surface parallel to the Y-Z plane, and hascontact with the end edges 612A, 612B, 613A, and 613B when bending thefirst bending part 615 and the second bending part 618 of the flexibleboard 6 along the bending guide part 715.

Further, on the ±Y sides of the fixation surface of the firstreinforcing plate 71, there are disposed the bending guide parts 715along the first side 71A and the third side 71C, respectively. The Y-Zcross-section of the bending guide part 715 has an arc-like shapeprotruding in a direction of getting away from the fixation surface 712,and continuous with the fixation surface 712 and the reverse surface714.

Here, the tip of the protrusion of the bending guide part 715 is locatedon the fixation surface 712 side of the first reference surface 711A.Specifically, the first reference surfaces 711A located on the both endsides of the first side 71A are located at a position shifted from the−Y side end part of the bending guide part 715 extending along the firstside 71A toward the −Y side as much as an amount at least equal to orlarger than the thickness of the flexible board 6. Further, the firstreference surfaces 711A located on the both end sides of the third side71C are located at a position shifted from the +Y side end part of thebending guide part 715 extending along the third side 71C toward the +Yside as much as an amount at least equal to or larger than the thicknessof the flexible board 6.

Further, the distance along the X direction between a pair of guidesurfaces 711E opposed to each other across the first side 71A is roughlythe same as the width dimension W3 in the X direction of the firstconnection part 614 and the first bending part 615 of the flexible board6.

Incidentally, the first reinforcing plate 71 is formed of the resinmaterial as described above, and is therefore lower in strength comparedto the case of being formed of, for example, metal. Therefore, in orderto increase the substrate strength, the first reinforcing plate 71 isprovided with a recessed part 714A disposed on the reverse surface 714,and a metal plate 716 is disposed in the recessed part 714A. The metalplate 716 is disposed on the bottom surface of the recessed part 714A,and does not protrude outward (the −Z side) from the reverse surface714. Thus, even when bending the flexible board 6 toward the reversesurface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate 71, the flexible board 6and the metal plate 716 do not interfere with each other.

2-3-2. Configuration of Second Reinforcing Plate 72

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the second reinforcing plate 72 supportsthe second connector section 63.

FIG. 12 is a plan view, a front view, and a side view of the secondreinforcing plate 72.

As shown in FIG. 12, the second reinforcing plate 72 has a roughlyrectangular shape having a fifth side 72A, a sixth side 72B, a seventhside 72C, and an eighth side 72D in a planar view viewed from the platethickness direction similarly to the first reinforcing plate 71.

The second reinforcing plate 72 is provided with a connector supportsurface 721 with which the central part (an area where the connectors631 are disposed) of the second connector section 63 has contact, and areverse surface 722 on the opposite side to the connector supportsurface 721. Further, the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided withsecond bending guide parts 723 each curved to have an arc-like shapedisposed respectively in the fifth side 72A and the seventh side 72Cextending along the X direction similarly to the first reinforcing plate71.

Further, the second reinforcing plate 72 is provided with secondpositioning blocks 724 respectively disposed along the sixth side 72Band the eighth side 72D located on the ±X sides similarly to the firstreinforcing plate 71.

The second positioning blocks 724 are each provided with a recessed part724A on a surface on the opposite side to the connector support surface721. The recessed part 724A forms a configuration space for the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 of the flexibleboard 6. Specifically, the width dimension D2 in the Y direction of therecessed part 724A of the second positioning block 724 located on the −Xside is equal to or larger than the dimension D3 (see FIG. 8) from the−Y side end edge of the first inflective part 64 to the first slit endedge 641B, and the dimension D4 (see FIG. 8) from the +Y side end edgeof the first inflective part 64 to the first slit end edge 641C, and itis preferable to fulfill D2=D3=D4.

Further, although not shown in the drawings, the width dimension in theY direction of the recessed part 724A of the second positioning block724 located on the +X side is equal to or larger than the dimension D6(see FIG. 8) from the −Y side end edge of the second inflective part 65to the second slit end edge 651B, and the dimension D7 (see FIG. 8) fromthe +Y side end edge of the second inflective part 65 to the second slitend edge 651C, and is preferably equal to the dimensions D6 and D7.

Further, on a surface on the opposite side to the connector supportsurface 721 of the second positioning block 724, there are disposedmount surfaces 724B across the recessed part 724A from each other. Themount surfaces 724B are mounted on the fourth reference surface 711Dwhen storing the second reinforcing plate 72 in the housing 21.

In the present embodiment, the mount surfaces 724B are located on the −Zside (+Z side when stored in the housing 21) of the reverse surface 722.Thus, when mounting the mount surfaces 724B on the fourth referencesurface 711D, between the reverse surface 714 of the first reinforcingplate 71 and the reverse surface 722 of the second reinforcing plate 72,there is formed a space at least equal to or larger than theconfiguration space for the flexible board 6 bent multiply and theconnectors 621 of the first connector section 62.

The surface on the fifth side 72A side and on the seventh side 72C sideof each of the second positioning blocks 724 forms a second guidesurface 724C for guiding the second opposed edge 651A of the second slit651 of the flexible board 6, and an outer peripheral edge on the −X sideof the flexible board 6.

2-4. Configuration of Housing 21

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 21 is provided with a storage part 211and a lid part 212.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the storage part 211 is a vessel-likemember for storing the ultrasonic device unit 4, and has a sensor window211B in a bottom part 211A, wherein the acoustic lens 54 of theultrasonic device 5 is exposed to the outside from the sensor window211B.

Further, in the bottom part 211A of the storage part 211, there isdisposed a device installation part 213 so as to surround the sensorwindow 211B. The device installation part 213 is formed to have aframe-like shape rising from the bottom part 211A so that the fourcorners of the first reinforcing plate 71 are fitted into the deviceinstallation part 213.

2-5. Storage of Ultrasonic Device Unit 4 into Housing 21

In such an ultrasonic probe 2 as described above, firstly, theultrasonic device 5 is fixed to the fixation surface 712 of the firstreinforcing plate 71.

Then, the first connection part 614 of the flexible board 6 is connectedto the −X side of the wiring board 53 of the ultrasonic device 5. Thus,the connection terminals of the first connection part 614 and the firstdevice-side terminals 531 are electrically connected to each other,respectively. Further, the second connection part 617 is connected tothe +X side of the wiring board 53 of the ultrasonic device 5. Thus, theconnection terminals of the second connection part 617 and the seconddevice-side terminals 532 are electrically connected to each other,respectively.

On this occasion, the first negative-side end edge 612A of the flexibleboard 6 is made to have contact with (be guided by) the guide surface711E located on the −X side of the first side 71A, and the firstpositive-side end edge 612B is made to have contact with (be guided by)the guide surface 711E located on the +X side of the first side 71A.Further, the second negative-side end edge 613A of the flexible board 6is made to have contact with (be guided by) the guide surface 711Elocated on the −X side of the third side 71C, and the secondpositive-side end edge 613B is made to have contact with (be guided by)the guide surface 711E located on the +X side of the third side 71C.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the case in which the flexible board 6is curved along the X direction in the present embodiment.

Subsequently, the flexible board 6 is curved in a first bending area Ar3(see FIG. 8) including the first bending part 615 parallel to the Xdirection to fold back the end edge on the −Y side of the flexible board6 toward the +Y side. Further, the flexible board 6 is curved in asecond bending area Ar4 (see FIG. 8) including the second bending part618 parallel to the X direction to fold back the end edge on the +Y sideof the flexible board 6 toward the −Y side. It should be noted thateither one of the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4can be folded back first.

Here, as shown in FIG. 13, the end edges (the first negative-side endedge 612A and the first positive-side end edge 612B) of the ±X sides ofthe first bending part 615 and the end edges (the second negative-sideend edge 613A and the second positive-side end edge 613B) on the ±Xsides of the second bending part 618 are guided by the guide surfaces711E to be curved along the arcs of the bending guide parts 715.

Thus, in the flexible board 6, the first bending area Ar3 can be bentalong (in parallel to the X direction) the first side 71A of the firstreinforcing plate 71, and thus, the first device stacking part 616 isstacked on the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate71 so as to overlap the first reinforcing plate 71. Further, the secondbending area Ar4 can be bent along (in parallel to the X direction) thethird side 71C of the first reinforcing plate 71, and thus, the seconddevice stacking part 619 is stacked on the reverse surface 714 side ofthe first reinforcing plate 71 so as to overlap the first reinforcingplate 71.

Similarly, in each of the first connector section 62, the firstinflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65, an area located onthe −Y side of the first bending area Ar3 is made to overlap a centralarea (an area where the connectors 621, 632 are disposed) between thefirst bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4. Further, in eachof the first connector section 62, the first inflective part 64 and thesecond inflective part 65, an area located on the +Y side of the secondbending area Ar4 is made to overlap the central area.

Further, the first bending area Ar3 and the second bending area Ar4 ofthe second connector section 63 are guided by the second guide surfaces724C to be curved along the second bending guide parts 723 of the secondreinforcing plate 72, and thus, an area located on the −Y side of thefirst bending area Ar3 of the second connector section 63 and an arealocated on the +Y side of the second bending area Ar4 are made tooverlap the reverse surface of the second reinforcing plate 72.

As described above, when curving the flexible board 6, the first slitend edges 641B, 641C of the first slit 641 and the second slit end edges651B, 651C of the second slit 651 move to the positions to be overlappedwith the central area. Therefore, even in the case in which the flexibleboard 6 is folded back in the first bending area Ar3 and the secondbending area Ar4 to be deformed to have a roughly cylindrical shape, ineach of the first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65,there is formed a shape in which the flexible board 6 is disposed onlyon the reverse surface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate 71.Therefore, the first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part65 become to be able to easily be bent toward the reverse surface 714side of the first reinforcing plate 71.

Further, in the present embodiment, the width dimension W1 in the Xdirection of the first slit 641 in the first inflective part 64 issmaller than the width dimension W2 in the X direction of the secondslit in the second inflective part 65. Therefore, when bending the firstinflective part 64 and second inflective part 65, the first inflectivepart 64 is bent first, and then the first connector section 62 isoverlapped with the first reinforcing plate 71. Here, since the X-widthdimension of the first connector section 62 is smaller than the X-widthdimension of the first reinforcing plate 71, the first connector section62 does not project toward the second inflective part 65, and does nothinder bending of the second inflective part 65.

Further, by bending the first inflective part 64 toward the reversesurface 714 side of the first reinforcing plate 71, the connectors 621in the first connector section 62 project toward the −Z side.

Then, the first reinforcing plate 71 is fixed to the storage part 211 ofthe housing 21.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the first referencesurfaces 711A and the second reference surfaces 711B of the positioningblocks 711 provided to the first reinforcing plate 71 are made to havecontact with, and then fitted into, the device installation part 213provided to the housing 21. Thus, the third reference surfaces 711C ofthe first reinforcing plate 71 have contact with the bottom part 211A ofthe housing 21, and the acoustic lens 54 of the ultrasonic device 5projects from the sensor window 211B.

Further, on this occasion, each of the connectors 621 in the firstconnector section 62 is exposed on the opposite side to the bottom part211A of the storage part 211. Then, the terminals disposed on the tip ofthe cable 3 are connected to the connectors 621.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the ultrasonic device unit 4 housed in thehousing 21 viewed from the first inflective part 64 side, and FIG. 15 isa side view viewed from the second inflective part 65 side. It should benoted that the illustration of the second reinforcing plate 72 isomitted in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15.

Subsequently, the second inflective part 65 is bent to overlap thesecond reinforcing plate 72 which supports the second connector section63 with the first reinforcing plate 71. Thus, the mount surfaces 724B ofthe second positioning blocks 724 of the second reinforcing plate 72 aremounted on the fourth reference surfaces 711D of the positioning blocks711 of the first reinforcing plate 71.

On this occasion, since the width dimension W2 of the second slit 651 inthe second inflective part 65 satisfies W2>W1, the second connectorsection 63 does not interfere with the first connector section 62, andthe first inflective part 64 and the second inflective part 65 do notproject outside as shown in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, and therefore,miniaturization of the flexible board 6 can be advanced.

Further, when mounting the mount surfaces 724B of the second reinforcingplate 72 on the fourth reference surfaces 711D of the first reinforcingplate 71, the configuration space S for disposing the flexible board 6and the first connector section 62 is formed between the reverse surface714 of the first reinforcing plate 71 and the reverse surface 722 of thesecond reinforcing plate 72. In the configuration space S, there aredisposed the first device stacking part 616, the second device stackingpart 619, the first connector section 62 bent to be triply overlapped,the second connector section 63 bent toward the reverse surface 722 sideof the second reinforcing plate 72 to be doubly overlapped, theconnectors in the first connector section 62, and the terminals of thecable 3 to be connected to the connectors (the illustration of the cable3 is omitted in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3).

Further, since the connectors 631 of the second connector section 63supported by the second reinforcing plate 72 are exposed on the −Z side,the terminals provided to the tip of the cable 3 are connected to theconnectors 631. Subsequently, the lid part 212 is fixed to the storagepart 211, and the space between the sensor window 211B and the acousticlens 54 is sealed with a resin material such as silicone resin, andthus, the ultrasonic probe 2 is assembled.

3. Functions and Advantages of Present Embodiment

In the ultrasonic device unit 4 according to the present embodiment, theultrasonic device 5 has the 1-st through n-th device-side terminals (thefirst device-side terminals 531 and the second device-side terminals532) corresponding respectively to the 1-st through n-thtransmission/reception columns Ch. Further, flexible board 6 is providedwith the device connection section 61, the first connector section 62,and the second connector section 63 to be connected to the respectivedevice-side terminals of the ultrasonic device 5. Further, the 1-stthrough k-th device-side terminals are connected to the externalconnection terminals 622 provided to the connecters 621 of the firstconnector section 62, and the (k+1)-th through n-th device-sideterminals are connected to the external connection terminals 632provided to the connectors 631 of the second connector section 63.

In such a configuration, since it is possible to distribute theinterconnections 661, 662, 663, 664 to the first connector section 62and the second connector section 63, the length of each of theinterconnections 661, 662, 663, 664 can be made shorter compared to thecase in which, for example, one connector is provided alone to theflexible board, and thus, the influence of the voltage drop can besuppressed as shown in FIG. 10. Thus, since the influence on thetransmission/reception efficiency of the ultrasonic wave in theultrasonic device 5 can also be suppressed, it is possible to performthe ultrasonic measurement high in accuracy with the ultrasonic probe 2,and thus, it is possible to perform highly accurate processes (e.g.,formation of an internal tomographic image) based on the ultrasonicmeasurement result in the ultrasonic measurement apparatus 1.

In the ultrasonic device 5 according to the present embodiment, theplurality of ultrasonic transducers Tr arranged in the Y directionconstitutes one transmission/reception column Ch, and the plurality oftransmission/reception columns Ch is arranged in the X direction.Further, the −Y side end part of each of the transmission/receptioncolumns Ch is connected to the first device-side terminal 531, and the+Y side end part thereof is connected to the second device-side terminal532. Further, in the flexible board 6, these first device-side terminal531 and the second device-side terminal 532 are connected to the sameexternal connection terminal 622 (or the external connection terminal632). Therefore, it is possible to input the same drive signal to theboth ends of the transmission/reception column Ch, and thus, it ispossible to reduce the influence of the voltage drop in thetransmission/reception column Ch.

Further, the first interconnections 661 and the third interconnections663 for connecting the first device-side terminals 531 and the externalconnection terminals 622, 632 to each other are roughly symmetrical withthe second interconnections 662 and the fourth interconnections 664 forconnecting the second device-side terminals 532 and the externalconnection terminals 622, 632 to each other, respectively. Therefore,even if the voltage drop occurs in each of the interconnections 661,662, 663, and 664, it is possible to suppress the disadvantage that theintensities of the ultrasonic waves which are made to be output from theultrasonic device 5 become non-uniform.

In the present embodiment, in the flexible board 6, there are arrangedthe first connector section 62, the device connecting section 61, andthe second connector section 63 in this order along the X direction.

In such a configuration, the first interconnections 661 and the secondinterconnections 662 extending from the device connection section 61toward the first connector section 62, and the third interconnections663 and the fourth interconnections 664 extending from the deviceconnection section 61 toward the second connector section 63 can beformed roughly line-symmetrically with each other. Therefore, even inthe case in which the voltage drop occurs, the transmission/receptionefficiency of the ultrasonic wave output from the first connectorsection 62 side in the ultrasonic device 5 and thetransmission/reception efficiency of the ultrasonic wave output from thesecond connector section 63 side become roughly equal to each other.Therefore, it is prevented that the transmission/reception efficiency ofthe ultrasonic wave significantly lowers in a part of the ultrasonicdevice, and the appropriate transmission/reception process of theultrasonic wave can be performed.

In the present embodiment, the number of the first interconnections 661and the second interconnections 662 extending from the device connectionsection 61 toward the first connector section 62, and the number of thethird interconnections 663 and the fourth interconnections 664 extendingfrom the device connection section 61 toward the second connectorsection 63 are the same as each other. Therefore, between the ultrasonictransducers Tr connected to the first connector section 62 and theultrasonic transducers Tr connected to the second connector section 63,the influence of the voltage drop can be made roughly the same, andthus, the transmission/reception efficiency of the ultrasonic wave inthe ultrasonic device 5 can be equalized.

MODIFIED EXAMPLES

It should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodimentand the modified examples described above, but includes modificationsand improvements within a range in which the advantages of the inventioncan be achieved, and configurations which can be obtained by arbitrarycombinations of the embodiment and modified examples, and so on.

Although in the embodiment described above, there is illustrated theconfiguration in which the ultrasonic device 5 is provided with thefirst device-side terminals 531 and the second device-side terminals532, it is also possible to adopt a configuration provided with onlyeither one of the device-side terminals. For example, in the case inwhich the second device-side terminals 532 are not provided, there isobtained a configuration in which the first interconnections 661 forconnecting the first device-side terminals 531 and the first connectorsection 62 to each other, and the third interconnections 663 forconnecting the first device-side terminals 531 and the second connectorsection 63 to each other. Also in this case, by configuring the firstinterconnections 661 and the third interconnections 663, for example,line-symmetrically with each other, it is possible to reduce theinfluence of the voltage drop to thereby improve thetransmission/reception efficiency of the ultrasonic wave in theultrasonic device 5.

Although in the embodiment described above, there is described theexample in which the number k of the first interconnections 661 (thesecond interconnections 662) extending from the device connectionsection 61 to the first connector section 62 is set to k=n/2, it issufficient to fulfill |(n−k)−k|/n≤0.2 as described above.

In other words, if the difference between the number of theinterconnections to the first connector section 62 and the number of theinterconnections to the second connector section 63 is equal to or lowerthan 20% of the total number of the interconnections, it is possible tosufficiently reduce the influence of the voltage drop.

Further, in the embodiment described above, there is shown the examplein which the first connector section 62, the device connection section61, and the second connector section 63 are disposed along the Xdirection, but this is not a limitation.

For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which thefirst connector section 62 is disposed on the +X side of the deviceconnection section 61, and the second connector section 63 is dispose onthe +Y side of the device connection section 61. Also in this case, bymaking the length of the interconnections extending toward the firstconnector section 62 and the length of the interconnections extendingtoward the second connector section 63 equal to each other, it ispossible to suppress the influence of the voltage drop.

In the embodiment described above, there is described the example inwhich the first interconnections 661 and the second interconnections 662become roughly line-symmetric with each other, and the firstinterconnections 661 and the third interconnections 663 become roughlyline-symmetric with each other, this is not a limitation. It is notrequired for the interconnections 661, 662, 663, and 664 to be formed soas to have symmetrical shapes with each other. For example, by makingthe interconnections roughly equal in length dimension to each other,the influence of the voltage drop can be reduced even if a symmetricalconfiguration is not provided.

In the embodiment described above, the 1-st through k-th firstdevice-side terminals 531 and the 1-st through k-th second device-sideterminals 532 are wired in the first connector section 62, and the(k+1)-th through n-th first device-side terminals 531 and the (k+1)-ththrough n-th second device-side terminals 532 are wired in the secondconnector section 63. In contrast, it is also possible to wire the firstdevice-side terminals 531 and the second device-side terminals 532 torespective connector sections different from each other. For example,the first connector section is disposed on the −Y side of the flexibleboard, the second connector section is disposed on the +Y side, thefirst device-side terminals 531 are wired to the first connector sectionlocated on the −Y side, and the second device-side terminals 532 arewired to the second connector section located on the +Y side. In such aconfiguration, it is also possible to input drive signals different involtage from each other respectively to the first device-side terminals531 and the second device-side terminals 532, and thus, it is alsopossible to deflect the acoustic pressure of the ultrasonic wave outputfrom the ultrasonic device 5 to one side.

Although in the embodiment described above, there is illustrated theconfiguration in which the flexible board 6 includes the first connectorsection 62 and the second connector section 63, it is also possible toadopt a configuration provided with three or more connector sections,and so on.

For example, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which athird connector section is disposed on the −Y side of the deviceconnection section 61, and a fourth connector section is disposed on the+Y side of the device connection section 61 in addition to the firstconnector section 62 disposed on the −X side of the device connectionsection 61, and the second connector section 63 disposed on the +X side.

In the embodiment described above, there is illustrated theconfiguration in which the connectors 621 provided to the firstconnector section 62 and the connectors 631 provided to the secondconnector section 63 each have a long side parallel to the X direction,and the external connection terminals 622, 632 are arranged in the Xdirection, but this configuration is not a limitation. It is alsopossible for the connectors 621, 631 and the external connectionterminals 622, 632 to be arranged along, for example, the Y direction.

In the embodiment described above, there is shown the example in whichthe ultrasonic device 5 is provided with the wiring board 53, and thewiring board 53 is provided with the device-side terminals to beconnected to the respective terminals 513D, 514A provided to theultrasonic substrate 51. In contrast, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the wiring board 53 is not provided, and thefirst connection part 614 and the second connection part 617 of theflexible board 6 are directly connected to the terminals 513D, 514A ofthe ultrasonic substrate 51.

In the embodiment described above, there is shown the example in whichthe ultrasonic device 5 transmits the ultrasonic wave from the substrateopening part 511A, and receives the ultrasonic wave entering thesubstrate opening part 511A. In contrast, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the sealing plate 52 is disposed on the substrateopening part 511A side, and the ultrasonic wave is output to theopposite side to the substrate opening part 511A.

Further, the transmission/reception column Ch provided with a pluralityof ultrasonic transducers Tr is illustrated as the vibrator elementprovided to the ultrasonic device 5, but this example is not alimitation. For example, it is also possible that each of the ultrasonictransducers Tr can also be configured as a vibrator element.

Further, there is shown an example of the ultrasonic transducer Tr inwhich the ultrasonic wave is transmitted by vibrating the support film512 with the piezoelectric element 513, and the ultrasonic wave isreceived by converting the vibration of the support film 512 into anelectric signal with the piezoelectric element 513, but this example isnot a limitation. For example, it is also possible to adopt aconfiguration in which the ultrasonic wave is transmitted and receivedby vibrating a bulk-type piezoelectric body, and further, it is alsopossible to adopt a configuration in which electrodes opposed to eachother are provided to a pair of film members, and a cyclic drive voltageis applied between the electrodes to thereby vibrate the film membersusing electrostatic force.

In the embodiment described above, the ultrasonic measurement apparatus1 taking an organ in a living body as the measurement object isillustrated as the ultrasonic apparatus, but this is not a limitation.For example, the configurations of the embodiment and the modifiedexamples described above can be applied to a measurement apparatustaking a variety of types of structures as the measurement object, andperforming detection of defects of the structures and inspections ofaging of the structures. Further, the same applies to a measurementapparatus taking, for example, a semiconductor package or a wafer as themeasurement object, and detecting the defects of the measurement object.

Besides the above, specific structures to be adopted when implementingthe invention can be configured by arbitrarily combining the embodimentand the modified examples described above with each other, or canarbitrarily be replaced with other structures and so on within the rangein which the advantages of the invention can be achieved.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-055391filed Mar. 22, 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. An ultrasonic device unit comprising: anultrasonic device including 1-st through n-th (n is an integer nosmaller than 2) vibrator elements and 1-st through n-th device-sideterminals connected corresponding respectively to the vibrator elements;and a flexible printed wiring board to be connected to the ultrasonicdevice, wherein the flexible printed wiring board includes a firstconnector section provided with 1-st through k-th (k is an integersatisfying 1≤k<n) external connection terminals, a second connectorsection provided with (k+1)-th through n-th external connectionterminals, a device connection section which is disposed between thefirst connector section and the second connector section, and to whichthe 1-st through n-th device-side terminals are connected, andinterconnections provided corresponding respectively to the 1-st throughn-th device-side terminals and the 1-st through n-th external connectionterminals, and adapted to connect the i-th device-side terminal and thei-th external connection terminal to each other.
 2. The ultrasonicdevice unit according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator elements eachinclude a plurality of ultrasonic elements arranged in a firstdirection, the plurality of the vibrator elements are arranged in asecond direction crossing the first direction, the device-side terminalsinclude first device-side terminals disposed on one end side in thefirst direction of the plurality of the vibrator elements, and seconddevice-side terminals disposed on the other end side in the firstdirection, and the i-th first device-side terminal and the i-th seconddevice-side terminal are connected to the i-th external connectionterminal.
 3. The ultrasonic device unit according to claim 2, wherein inthe flexible printed wiring board, the first connector section, thedevice connection section, and the second connector section are arrangedalong the second direction.
 4. The ultrasonic device unit according toclaim 1, wherein the following is fulfilled:|(n−k)−k|/n≤0.2.
 5. The ultrasonic device unit according to claim 1,wherein the following is fulfilled:k=n/2.
 6. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic device unitaccording to claim 1; and a housing adapted to store the ultrasonicdevice unit.
 7. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic deviceunit according to claim 2; and a housing adapted to store the ultrasonicdevice unit.
 8. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic deviceunit according to claim 3; and a housing adapted to store the ultrasonicdevice unit.
 9. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic deviceunit according to claim 4; and a housing adapted to store the ultrasonicdevice unit.
 10. An ultrasonic probe comprising: the ultrasonic deviceunit according to claim 5; and a housing adapted to store the ultrasonicdevice unit.
 11. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising: the ultrasonicdevice unit according to claim 1; and a control section adapted tocontrol the ultrasonic device unit.
 12. An ultrasonic apparatuscomprising: the ultrasonic device unit according to claim 2; and acontrol section adapted to control the ultrasonic device unit.
 13. Anultrasonic apparatus comprising: the ultrasonic device unit according toclaim 3; and a control section adapted to control the ultrasonic deviceunit.
 14. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising: the ultrasonic device unitaccording to claim 4; and a control section adapted to control theultrasonic device unit.
 15. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising: theultrasonic device unit according to claim 5; and a control sectionadapted to control the ultrasonic device unit.